PERMISSION has been granted for a previously rejected Turkish restaurant in Greenock town centre - with a councillor warning that the owners' lengthy wait could put others off investing in Inverclyde.

A planning application to open the new premises within a former furniture shop on Grey Place was controversially blocked by council officials in November last year – after the applicants spent almost half a million pounds kitting the premises out.

The local authority’s planning department said cooking odours from the eatery, named Efes, would cause ‘unacceptable nuisance’ for neighbours.

Four public objections had been received about the proposals, raising concerns about a lack of parking nearby, a loss of privacy for neighbouring gardens and the impact of increased footfall, noise and traffic.

Greenock Telegraph:

A petition was later launched by outraged members of the public, calling on Inverclyde Council to give the plans the green light.

More than 1,000 people backed the call by signing the online petition.

Bosses at the restaurant formally challenged the council's rejection decision, with the council’s Local Review Body meeting to discuss the application on Wednesday.

At the meeting, Councillor Jim Clocherty noted that there was ‘an awful lot of public interest’ in the issue.

He said: “The length of time it’s taken to make a judgement on this item has been a great deal of concern for the public.

“I’ve got concerns that anything we do has got to be done speedily.

“I don’t think we can afford to let this go on for a longer time.

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“Whatever the outcome, I don’t want red tape to be seen as a reason for people not investing in Inverclyde.”

The Local Review Body decided to overturn the decision the refusal, granting permission subject to a number of conditions laid down by planners.

These include requirements relating to the use of suitable ventilation, filtration and extraction systems.

A letter submitted by the applicants' agents, Ferguson Planning, detailed plans which will ‘appropriately and successfully’ mitigate any odours emitted at the premises.

It said the restaurant will install a vertical duct at least one metre above the roof ridgeline, which will be regularly maintained and cleaned.